Hot top wiper strips



Aug- 2,5, 1964 J. G. SEANOR 3,145,437

HOT 'I'OP WIPER STRIPS Filed April 17, 1962 United States Patent O 3,145,437 e HOT TGP WlPER STRIPS John G. Seanor, New Castia, Ia., assigner to New Castle Refractories Inc., New Castle, Pa. Filed Apr. I7, 1962, Ser. No. 188,134 3 Claims. (Cl. 22-147) This invention relatesto wiper strips for use with hot tops to be inserted into ingot molds and more particularly for use with low density clay hot tops adapted for la single use or pour with an ingot mold.

The use of wiper strips with hot tops and ingot molds is old and well known. Wiper strips have been used primarily however, with hot tops that are adapted for more than one use in the pouring of ingots. Wiper strips have been used also with low density clay hot tops adapted for but a single use such as described in United States Patent No. 2,426,748 to H. P. Rees et al. However, generally speaking loW density clay hot tops have been used without any wiper strips at all. This is for various reasons including the cost of Wiper strips themselves andthe cost in time and eiort in using them. Heretofore, a significant drawback with low density hot tops has been that it was necessary to backpour when pouring an ingot, i.e., the operator would fill the ingot mold until the molten metal reached the base of the hot top, then he would similarly fill other ingot molds until the molten metal in the first ingot mold had frozen adjacent the hot top base whereupon he would backpour or fill the hot top itself. This was for the reason that unless he did so, the low density hot top would become a floater, i.e., it would float on the molten metal and permit the molten metal to escape or bleed around the joint of the hot top and ingot mold and thereby defeat the purpose of the hot top, which is to assure a solid ingot by filling in the ingot mold as the ingot freezes and shrinks therein.

There has been a need in this art for a wiper strip thatis more universal, i.e., a wiper strip that can be used with most any size or shape of a hot top and ingot mold. Heretofore, wiper strips have been tailored or custom made to suit a particular size or shape hot top and ingot mold. This tailoring understandably greatly increases the expense of providing wiper strips and often is prohibitive when the number of wiper strips to be fabricated for a particular job is relatively low.

I have invented a Wiper strip that is dramatically universal in application, in that it can be utilized with any known hot top and ingot mold in present conventional practice regardless of the sizes and shapes thereof.

The universality of my wiper strip eliminates the necessity of new and different sets of dies for fabricating wiper strips for each different sized or shaped hot top and ingot mold. Thus the expense of my wiper strip is reduced to the extent that they are practical to use even with low density hot tops.

My wiper strips have the further advantage in that they eliminate the problem and delay of backpouring which yields considerable savings in shopt time. This is due to the fact that the molten metal will freeze much more quickly at the wiper strip by virtue of the solid metal there which, although it melts to a considerable extent and blends Vin with the. molten metal, nevertheless causes the molten metal to freeze with sufiicient rapidity l at this seam that bleeding will notV occur even though the operator pauses only momentarily at the wiper strip seam before Vcontinuing to pour and lill the hot top.

I provide a Wiper strip for use with hot tops and ingot molds comprising a unitary exible metal strip having a central strip portion with a lower ange portion and an upper flange portion extending along the length thereof, said lower flange portion extending inwardly from said central portion and said upper ange portion extending outwardly from said central portion, said flange portions each comprising a multiplicity of flange segments discreet from each other and integral with said central portion. Y

Preferably, I provide that said flange portions extend substantially perpendicularly from said central strip portion in opposite directions and that said flange portions have uniformly spaced slits therealong to form said multiplicity of ange segments discreet from each other and integral only with said central portion.

In another embodiment of my invention, I preferably provide that said lower flange portion extend inwardly substantially perpendicularly from said central portion and have uniformly spaced V-shaped slots therealong to form said multiplicity of flange segments discreet from each other and integral only with said central strip portion, and further that said upper flange portion extend diagonally upwardly and outwardly from said central strip portion and have uniformly spaced slits therealong to form said multiplicity of ange segments discreet from each other and integral only with said central strip portion.

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of certain present preferred embodiments thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown certain present preferred embodiments of the invention invwhich FIGURE l is an isometric view of a hot top with a first embodiment of my invention attached thereto;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of a hot top with said first embodiment of my invention attached thereto disposed in an ingot mold;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line III-III of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of said first embodiment of my invention;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentaryside elevational view of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is an end elevational view of FIGURE 5 viewed from the right;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary isometric view of said first embodiment of my invention flexed into curvilinear form;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to FIGURE 3 of a second preferred embodiment of my invention;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary top plan view of said second embodiment;

FIGURE l0 is a fragmentary side elevational view of y FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 1l is an end elevational View of FIGURE l0 viewed from the right; and. y

FIGURE l2 is a fragmentary isometric view of said second embodiment flexed into curvilinear form.

Referring now to the drawing and initially to FIG- URE 7, I showY a wiper strip I having a central strip portion 2 with a lower ange 3 and an upper flange 4. Flanges 3 and 4, it will b e noticed from FIGURE 6, are disposed substantially at right angles to central strip portion 2 and extend therefrom in opposite directions and along the fulllength thereof. Flanges 3 and 4 are slit at uniformly spaced intervals as indicated by the reference numerals 5 to form the flange segments 6. As is clearly shown in FIGURE 5, the slitting operation distorts segments 6 along slits 5 so that the adjacent edges 7 and of segmentsV are otfsetffrom each other, i.e., are not in the same plane. Although this is a natural result of the slitting operation, nevertheless it is important to the successful utilization of my wiper strip as will now be more fully explained.

In utilizing my wiper strip it is generally the better practice to assemble or attach the wiper strip to the hot top. In FIGURES 1 and 2 I illustrate how wiper strip 1 may be so attached. By virtue of the fact that flange segments 6 are discreet from each other and the fact that their adjacent edges 7 and 8 are planarly offset from each other, wiper stiip l may be readily wrapped about the base of hot top 9. This is because segments 6 will lap one another very neatly when wiper strip 1 is bent to follow the contour of the hot top, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 7.

After wrapping the wiper strip about the base of hot top 9, the wiperv strip may be attached thereto by any conventional means such as clips, banding, screws, nails, et cetera, or as shown, by stapling it thereto with staples 10. As is apparent from the foregoing description and drawing, my invention permits the fabricator to make the wiper strip from metal coil stock and the only change necessary to be made in the fabricating set up for one size or shape hot top to another is simply to adjust the cut olf for length. It is also apparent that the assembling of the wiper strip to a hot top is simplified because it is immaterial which ange is upper or lower, the assembler can wrap the wiper strip around the hot top without concern as to which ange is the upper flange or the lower ange. It is further clear that my wiper strip will readily adjust to and wrap easily around any presently known and conventional size or shape hot top. Thus die costs and set up times to fabricate my Wiper strip are dramatically lower than any heretofore known in this art, reducing the expense of using wiper strips to the extent that their use is very practical even with low density hot tops adapted for but a single use.

In operating with my wiper strip, the pour operator, after the hot top with wiper strip attached is inserted into the top of the ingot mold in the conventional manner shown in FIGURE 3, will pour the molten metal into the ingot mold until the level of the metal reaches the base of the hot top, at which point he simply pauses for a few seconds, for example about 10 seconds, and then continues pouring to fill the hot top. This slight pause permits the wiper strip to suihciently freeze the molten metal at the wiper strip seam so that the operator can thereafter continue the pour without the danger of bleeding occurring at the seam. Thus backpouring as earlier explained and heretofore found necessary is eliminated with consequent savings in operating time.

Referring now to FIGURES 8 to 12, I there illustrate another preferred embodiment of my invention wherein the wiper strip 11 comprises a central strip portion 12 with an upper flange portion 13 and a lower ange portion 14. Upper flange portion 13 is disposed diagonally outwardly and upwardly from said central strip portion 12 with respect to the hot top when assembled thereto. Upper ange portion 13 has uniformly spaced slits 1S which form flange segments 16 as earlier described with respect to the flange segments 6 of rny first described embodiment. Lower flange portion 14 is disposed inwardly substantially perpendicularly from central strip portion 12 and has uniformly spaced V-slots 17 therealong to form flange segments 18. As is clearly shown in FIGURE l2, liange segments 16 and 18 readily permit my wiper strip to be wrapped about'any conventional hot tops regardless of Varying sizes and shapes.' The presently described embodiment is assembled to a-hot top and used therewith the same as earlier described with regard to my first described embodiment and with the same described advantages following as a result. The primary difference between the embodiments being that the upper and lower flange portions 13 and 14` are preferably disposed with lower flange portion 14 extending inwardly below and adjacent the hot top base with upper flange portion 13 above and extending outwardly from the hot top. Thus theassembler preferably should not disregard the disposition of the respective anges when attaching wiper strip 11 to a hot top as he may readily do with wiper strip 1.

While I have shown and described certain present preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.

l. A wiper strip for use with hot tops and ingot molds comprising a unitary flexible metal strip having a central strip portion with a lower ange portion and an upper ange portion extending along the length thereof, Vsaid lower ange portion extending angularly from one side of the plane of said central strip portion, said upper harige portion extending angularly from the other side of the plane of said central strip portion, said flange por tions having uniformly spaced cuts therealong to\forn1 a multiplicity of flange segments discreet from each other and integral with said central strip portion, the adjacent edges of said ilange segments being offset with respect to each other whereby said wiper strip is wrappable around the base of a hot top.

2. A wiper strip for use with hot tops and ingot molds comprising a unitary flexible metal strip having a central strip portion with a lower flange portion and an upper flange portion extending along the length thereof, said lower ilange portion extending angularly from one side of the plane of said central strip portion, said upper liange portion extending angularly from the other side of the plane of said central strip portion, said flange portions having uniformly spaced slits tlierealong to form a multiplicity of llange segments discreet from each other and integral with said central strip portion, the adjacent edges of said flange segments being planarly offset with respect to each other whereby said wiper strip is wrappable around the base of a hot top.

3. A wiper strip for use with hot tops and ingot molds comprising a unitaryfiexiblermetal strip having a central strip portion with a lower ange portion and an upper ange portion extending along the length thereof, `said lower Harige portion extending angularly from one side of the plane of said central strip portion, Vsaidhupper ange portion extending angularly fromthe other sidev of the plane of said central strip portion, said upperV iiange portion having uniformly spaced slits therealong to form a multiplicity of flange segments discreet from each other and integral with said central strip portion, the adjacent edges of said flange segments being planarly oifset with respect to each other, said lower flange por. tion having uniformly spaced V-shaped openings therealongto form a multiplicity of flange segments discreet from each other and integral with said central strip poi'- tion whereby said Wiper strip is wrappable around the base of a hot top.

References Cited in the lle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France Nov. 18, 

1. A WIPER STRIP FOR USE WITH HOT TOPS AND INGOT MOLDS COMPRISING A UNITARY FLEXIBLE METAL STRIP HAVING A CENTRAL STRIP PORTION WITH A LOWER FLANGE PORTION AND AN UPPER FLANGE PORTION EXTENDING ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF, SAID LOWER FLANGE PORTION EXTENDING ANGULARLY FROM ONE SIDE OF THE PLANE OF SAID CENTRAL STRIP PORTION, SAID UPPER FLANGE PORTION EXTENDING ANGULARLY FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANE OF SAID CENTRAL STRIP PORTION, SAID FLANGE PORTIONS HAVING UNIFORMLY SPACED CUTS THEREALONG TO FORM A MULTIPLICITY OF FLANGE SEGMENTS DISCREET FROM EACH OTHER AND INTEGRAL WITH SAID CENTRAL STRIP PORTION, THE ADJACENT EDGES OF SAID FLANGE SEGMENTS BEING OFFSET WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER WHEREBY SAID WIPER STRIP IS WRAPPABLE AROUND THE BASE OF A HOT TOP. 